Fifty Shades of Grimes
by sreii
Summary: AU. Beth just moved to the city and lands her first job at one of the biggest corporations in America as Rick Grimes', entrepreneur and owner of the corporation, assistant. Lucky for her, he has many more, and much more satisfying, duties for her in mind than just manning the desk. Rated M for later chapters.
1. Chapter 1

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own The Walking Dead.**

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" _The reason why Gravity won't let you reach for the Stars is so that you won't get burnt by your Dreams." - Anonymous_

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Love has a funny way of fucking up people's lives. It has the power of making you feel on top of the world one moment and then eight feet under the next. Fortunately for Beth, she never had to face that fact; until today.

"Yes, mom, I'll call you right after, I promise."

Beth was scrambling around her apartment, looking for her briefcase. She had just moved to the city after spending the first nineteen years on her family's farm, about one hundred miles south of her new apartment. Beth landed an opportunity of a lifetime: an interview with one of the biggest corporation owners, well, ever. Luckily for her, she was exactly what the ad said they wanted; young, ready to work, and new to the city. That last part confused her, but she didn't pay it much mind.

After finding her briefcase, she hurriedly walked to the subway and looked at her map again. She was about fifteen minutes away from the corporation, and lucky for her, her interview started in approximately five minutes.

 _Shit._

* * *

Rick cursed under his breath, dropping his phone. An angry call from his soon-to-be ex-wife was all it took to piss him off. He slicked his hair back taking a deep breath in, readying himself for this Godforsaken interview. If his memory served him right, the girl was already ten minutes late.

He reclined back in his chair, pinching the bridge of his nose. After his old assistant resigned, he was sure that that whore would sue him for all that he was worth. Fortunately for him, a small loan of a million dollars was enough to seal her mouth shut.

Rick was about to forget about the interview and leave before a small blond haired girl with eyes blue enough to get lost in walked in his office. She was obviously out of breath, some strings of hair falling loosely over her perfectly framed face.

Rick smirked and said, "You must be Annabeth Taylor Greene." Beth blushed slightly at how her name rolled off his tongue.

"Yes, sir." She reached out her hand to shake his. Never breaking eye contact, he took her hand in his and nearly melted under her touch. Rick's breath hitched and played it off with a smile.

He remarked, "Thank you for coming in. Please, have a seat." Beth happily sat down in the chair he was gesturing to. He casually walked around to his chair behind his desk and sat down. He continued, "So, you're new to the city?" Beth nodded.

"Yes, sir-"

"You can call me Mr. Grimes."

Beth blushed slightly at her mistake and continued, "Yes, Mr. Grimes. I moved here to work for someone like you." She beamed.

Rick chuckled, "Well I'm flattered." He continued to talk more about his business and what exactly she would be doing for him. As he talked, he couldn't help but notice how cute she looked sitting in the chair in front of him; how so intense her focus was on what he was saying. Whenever he'd say something that in anyway involved numbers, her nose would wrinkle displaying her disgust. He suppressed a chuckle and carried on with his speech. "So, when can you start?"

Beth's eyes widened at the fact she officially got the job and she said, "I-well, I can start right now if you'd like." Rick nodded. In the back of his mind, he barely registered the slight discomfort in his khakis, but carried on.

"Alright, well your desk is the first one you saw turning down the hall." He was aware of the fact that the desk was in direct eyesight of his office, and for that he was thankful.

When Beth stood up, she thanked him and walked out to her desk. As her back was turned to him, he watched her as she fixed her skirt and shimmied it down to reach her thigh. He licked his lips, knowing he would have her within the week.

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A/N: I know it's short, but it's a start! The upcoming chapters will be much longer, I promise you. Please review & tell me what you think so far! I am open to any ideas.


	2. Chapter 2

Beth made sure to not be late again.

The following week passed by slowly, and for that, Beth was greatful. She wrote down everything Rick said, even when he laughed. Beth knew it would only take one screw up to get herself fired from her dream job. The pressure to do well had never been so high, and if it weren't for some encouraging words from Rick and care packages from her parents, she wouldn't have lasted through.

It was Saturday night, and she was ready to go home and catch up _Law and Order: SVU_. The conference call that was only supposed to last one hour turned into a two and then three hour ordeal for Rick. By 9:00pm, he was sipping on his second glass of whiskey and taking another tylenol. He swore that that week had been the hardest. Even though the call took longer than planned, Beth decided she would stay. People had been trickling out since 5:00, and it was now just the two of them. Beth busied herself with scheduling and making sure everything was in order for when she came into work on Monday. She had no idea what she would do with her day off the next day, figuring she'd most likely stay in and write some.

Beth was just about to fall asleep at her desk until she heard Rick's door open. When he looked up and saw that she was there, a small smile graced his lips.

"Annabeth, I didn't expect you to still be here." It was like his smile was infectious. Beth felt her lips curve into a smile, sleep suddenly the last thing on her mind.

Beth sweetly replied, "Well I couldn't leave you here all lonesome. Besides, who'd be here to pick up any calls?" Rick chuckled.

"Well, you've worked two hours overtime. I suppose I owe you one," he looks at the clock for a second and then back at her, "I've wanted to check out Logan's, the new local bar, for a while now. Would you do me the honors of accompanying me?" Beth blushed, taken aback at his sudden interest in her. Well now that she thought about it, it wasn't that sudden. Before she read anymore into it, she quickly willed herself to stop thinking that way. He was her boss, nothing more. This was just a friendly gesture.

"I'd love to."

* * *

Two drinks in and Beth was feeling less than great.

Rick chuckled at how she fumbled with her words, talking nonsense. It was obvious she was new to this whole drinking thing. When the bartender asked her for her ID, he soon found out that she had only turned twenty-one 3 months ago. Beth quit drinking for the night and settled on sipping on some coke.

"So," Rick started, "what's your story, Ms. Annabeth?" Beth, feeling a little more confident, rolled her eyes at his words.

She exasperated, "Please, only my Grammy calls me that. You can call me Beth," Rick nodded, "But as for my story, it's like one of them Taylor Swift songs, ya ever heard one?" he didn't care to answer, "Well 'just a small town girl tryna make it in a big world'. This is my dream job. Livin' in the city an' working for a big time person like yourself." Rick smiled genuinely. As Beth was slowly coming down from her buzz, she only semi-registered his kind gesture. She continued on, "So what about you, Mr. Grimes? What's your story?" Rick sighed.

"Well, for starters, outsid'a work, please call me Rick. During hours I'm your boss, after I'm just that guy at the bar who happened to be lucky enough to talk to you." For a second, Beth swore he was flirting with her. _No way_ , she thought. No way a guy like him could want a girl like her. Once Rick spoke again, her attention was quickly focussed back on him, _and his perfectly chiselled chin_ , she added. "My story ain't much. 'born and raised her. Married once; worst decision of my life, believe me. 'don't get to see my kid that much. 'can't really completely say I don't like it. I'm more married to my work than anything." Beth could see where he was coming from. A man like him didn't seem like a man who'd wanna grill every Friday for his family or play football out on his lawn on Thanksgiving. Beth felt her heart ache a little, feeling sorry for him.

Beth didn't know much about men like that, or how their train of thought worked. All she knew that men like that aren't the ones you wanna bring home to mama or the ones you'd wanna fuck with.

Beth scowled and said, "Well that ain't much to say about your life." Rick scoffed at the naivety of that statement.

Rick said, "Oh, really? I'm sitting on a multi-million company, and you say that I can't say much about that? Beth, I could have any girl I wanted. I could buy out an entire concert. Psh, and people say that happiness can't be bought." Beth rolled her eyes.

"You're a selfish, egotistical prick if that's what you really think." Rick smirked.

He smugly said, "What? Have you forgotten I'm payin' for your drinks _and_ that I'm your boss?"

Beth sweetly said, "I thought after hours you're just a guy lucky enough to talk to me." Rick couldn't help but break into a smile. _A firecracker that one is,_ he thought. Her boldness caught him off guard but turned him on at the same time. He remembered how badly he wanted her and how she drove him crazy, wearing those short skirts and tight blouses. Rick downed another swig of scotch and breathed in.

He dropped the subject and said, "So what about your family? What do you they think about you moving to the big ole' city?" Beth shrugged.

"They supported me, sure. They didn't really think much of me working for you because of...well, all of the you know." Rick's brow went up.

"No, I don't know." He genuinely had no idea.

Beth cleared her throat and said, "Well after your divorce, all the magazines and stuff said you were, well, sleepin' around. They were just worried I'd get all caught up in that mess, because of how young I am and how good lookin' you are. I guess they don't think much of my judgement." She frowned, remembering the fight she had with her dad, Hershel. He believed in her faith, but after her last relationship, he wasn't too sure.

Beth had dated a guy named Zach for about a year before she moved to the city. During that time, she almost gave her virginity away to him in the barnyard until Hershel had caught them together. She was embarrassed, but most of all ashamed of what she had been doing.

It flew over her head when she indirectly told him he was attractive, but Rick caught it. He smirked against the glass and finished off his drink.

He said to the bartender, "Another round, for the both of us."

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A/N: Thanks so much for the positive responses! I'm so glad y'all like it so far. The next chapter will be up relatively soon. Reviews definitely motivate me to write faster. If y'all have any ideas as to where this could go, please please tell me! I have a general direction where I want this to end up, but nothing definite. I'm open to anything. Again, thank you for all of the reviews, favorites, and follows! xoxo sreii


	3. Chapter 3

Beth woke up with an extreme headache and a very limited recollection of what happened the night before. She was thankful that she didn't have to go to work the next day, as it was already 10:46am. It had been ages since she had drank like that. She was almost scared to try to remember what happened last night. One moment they were talking about meaningless stuff and then Rick had ordered another round of shots, and that's when everything got blurry.

Beth internally cursed herself, praying she hadn't said anything that was embarrassing or a secret. She wondered how Rick was feeling right about then, knowing he couldn't have felt any better than she did.

Beth weakly tossed around and looked for her phone. She felt a vibration coming from underneath her pillow and she picked it up. No caller ID.

"Hello?" The grogginess in her voice was evident.

" _Just now getting up, are we?"_ It was Rick. She groaned. " _It's alright, my maid woke me up only thirty minutes ago. Care to join me for brunch?"_ Beth thought carefully about what he was offering. She didn't want to give him the wrong idea, that she wanted to be with him. I mean, she'd be crazy if she said she didn't feel any attraction to him, but she knew for certain there could be no in office romance. It's strictly forbidden. Rick caught the hesitation and said, " _Don't worry, just a friend trying to keep his friend fed. I owe you for last night, anyway."_ Beth didn't really know what he owed her for but she knew it'd be rude to decline. So she said yes.

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As soon as she left her apartment, she instantly regretted her decision. Now, she sat at one of those umbrella covered tables outside of a little cafe a few blocks from where she lived, waiting for Rick. _This is normal, right? I mean, assistances can spend time with their bosses outside of work too, right?_ She pushed those thoughts aside as she saw Rick emerging from a crowd of people walking across the sidewalk. He wasn't wearing a suit like she normally saw him in. He was wearing a black t-shirt that outlined his perfectly lined abs and muscles, with a nice pair of blue jeans.

Rick's pearly white smile stood out in the nice weather, making Beth's tummy churn a bit. She quickly dismissed that feeling as he sat down.

"How'd you sleep?" Beth rolled her eyes.

She said, "Oh, like you don't know? No better than you, I s'pose." Rick chuckled.

"You still have a southern accent, I hear." Beth laughed lightly at his remark and started to look at the menu. She looked up at Rick once she saw the prices.

She was embarrassed but still said, "Um, Mr. Gri-I mean Rick...these prices aren't for me. Maybe we can go to the deli joint a few blocks down, you don't have to-" Rick shook his head and cut her off.

"Please, it's on me. Besides, you look like you haven't had a good meal in weeks. Come on, it's only proper for the boss to pay for his employee, especially when he's the one that invited her." He sent her a wink. Beth felt her cheeks warm and she avoided his gaze. _Cut it out, Beth._ She couldn't fall for him and she made sure she wouldn't. Besides, he was her boss after all.

After they ordered, it started to drizzle a bit. Rick cursed and blamed the night before for the rain and that God was taking it on them now. Beth couldn't help but find his little antics cute. _Cute._ She willed herself to move those thoughts aside. Rick asked for a to go box for the food and he paid, before he decided he would at least walk Beth back to her apartment. No cabs were available unfortunately, all of the streets flooding. They ran back to her apartment, and she insisted he stayed until the weather cleared up, since his apartment was at least a fifteen minute drive away.

Once they got to her apartment, they both were soaking wet. Beth's blouse now was almost see through, and his t-shirt outlined his body even more so now.

Beth quickly got him another t-shirt, one of her old big ones, to wear for the time being and threw his wet shirt in the dryer. She changed out of everything and put on a floral long sleeve shirt and skinny jeans.

Rick thanked her for the change of clothes and threw his pants in the dryer too. Looking around, all her could cover up with was a blanket. When Beth changed, she left a small crack in her door. He couldn't help but sneak a peak. Watching her peel her damp clothes off of her wet skin was enough to drive him up the wall. He felt his mood turn into a type of hunger, as if she was his next victim. Licking his lips, he could tell this was going to be the longest thunderstorm he had ever been in.

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Author's Note: Oooohhhhhhhh, what do y'all think will happen? *wiggles eyebrows* Super short, I know, I know. Please tell me what you think. And PLEASE give me any suggestions. Thank you to all of those who have reviewed, favorited, and followed! It all means so much to me!


	4. Chapter 4

Beth woke up with an extreme headache and a very limited recollection of what happened the night before. _What would mama say?_ She was thankful that she didn't have to go to work the next day, as it was already 10:46am. It had been ages since she had drank like that. She was almost scared to try to remember what happened last night. One moment they were talking about meaningless stuff and then Rick had ordered another round of shots, and that's when everything got blurry.

Beth cursed herself, praying she hadn't said anything that was embarrassing or a secret. She wondered how Rick was feeling right about then, knowing he couldn't have felt any better than she did.

Beth weakly tossed around and looked for her phone. She felt a vibration coming from underneath her pillow and she picked it up. No caller ID.

"Hello?" The grogginess in her voice was evident.

" _Just now getting up, are we?"_ It was Rick. She groaned. " _It's alright, my maid woke me up only thirty minutes ago. Care to join me for brunch?"_ Beth thought carefully about what he was offering. She didn't want to give him the wrong idea, that she wanted to be with him. I mean, she'd be crazy if she said she didn't feel any attraction to him, but she knew for certain there could be no in office romance. It's strictly forbidden. Rick caught the hesitation and said, " _Don't worry, just a friend trying to keep his friend fed. I owe you for last night, anyway."_ Beth didn't really know what he owed her for but she knew it'd be rude to decline.

So she said yes.

* * *

As soon as she left her apartment, she instantly regretted her decision. Now, she sat at one of those umbrella covered tables outside of a little cafe a few blocks from where she lived, waiting for Rick. _This is normal, right? I mean, assistances can spend time with their bosses outside of work too, right?_ She pushed those thoughts aside as she saw Rick emerging from a crowd of people walking across the sidewalk. He wasn't wearing a suit like she normally saw him in. He was wearing a black t-shirt that outlined his perfectly lined abs and muscles, with a nice pair of blue jeans.

Rick's pearly white smile stood out in the nice weather, causing a funny feeling in her stomach. She quickly dismissed that feeling as he sat down.

"How'd you sleep?" Beth rolled her eyes.

She said, "Oh, like you don't know? No better than you, I s'pose." Rick chuckled.

"You still have a southern accent, I hear." Beth laughed lightly at his remark and started to look at the menu. She looked up at Rick once she saw the prices.

She was embarrassed but still said, "Um, Mr. Gri-I mean Rick...these prices aren't for me. Maybe we can go to the deli joint a few blocks down, you don't have to-" Rick shook his head and cut her off.

"Please, it's on me. Besides, you look like you haven't had a good meal in weeks. Come on, it's only proper for the boss to pay for his employee, especially when he's the one that invited her." He sent her a wink. _Don't worry, you'll be making it up to me later._

Beth felt her cheeks warm and she avoided his gaze. _Cut it out, Beth._ She couldn't fall for him and she made sure she wouldn't. Besides, he was her _boss_ after all.

After they ordered, it started to drizzle a bit. Rick cursed and blamed the night before for the rain and that God was taking it on them now. Beth couldn't help but find his little antics cute. _Cute._ She willed herself to move those thoughts aside. Rick asked for a to go box for the food and he paid, before he decided he would at least walk Beth back to her apartment. No cabs were available unfortunately, all of the streets flooding. They ran back to her apartment, and she insisted he stayed until the weather cleared up, since his apartment was at least a fifteen minute drive away.

Once they got to her apartment, they both were soaking wet. Beth's blouse now was almost see through, and his t-shirt outlined his body even more so now.

Beth quickly got him another t-shirt, one of her old big ones, to wear for the time being and threw his wet shirt in the dryer. She changed out of everything and put on a floral long sleeve shirt and skinny jeans.

Rick thanked her for the change of clothes and threw his pants in the dryer too. Looking around, all her could cover up with was a blanket. When Beth changed, she left a small crack in her door. He couldn't help but sneak a peak. Watching her peel her damp clothes off of her wet skin was enough to drive him up the wall. He felt his mood turn into a type of hunger, as if she was his next victim. Licking his lips, he could tell this was going to be the longest thunderstorm he had ever been in.

* * *

Author's Note: Oooohhhhhhhh, what do y'all think will happen? *wiggles eyebrows* Super short, I know, I know. Please tell me what you think. And PLEASE give me any suggestions. I'll be really super duper honest right now. I've never written smut and I wish I could say truthfully "I'm trying to take their budding relationship slow" but in reality I'm just stalling. So when I say please give me suggestions...I mean please help me not make the smut scene horrible :( anyway, thank you to all of those who have reviewed, favorited, and followed! It all means so much to me!


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